Bulletin: May 29, 2016

Children and youth are always welcome in meeting for worship. We are expecting that families with children will be attending worship this summer, though perhaps not every week. Friends should be mindful of the presence of young people who might be in worship in the summer months. Pray for vocal ministry that might be meaningful to them, and be sensitive to the inappropriate nature of some subjects.

Children will remain in worship for about 15 minutes and may, at the announced time, go to the park (or downstairs in case of rain) with two adults who have gone through a clearness process for working with children. Or they may choose to stay in worship. Younger children may choose to go to the nursery at that time, if they do not want to go outside with others. Friends who have been through the clearness process for working with children are encouraged to help with this summer program. Express interest to Pat. If you would like to work with Meeting children but have not had a clearness process to do so, please contact Scott, Robert or Pat.

Announcements should be sent to the office by Thursday to be included in the bulletin. If an announcement is vitally important to Meeting and needs to be made on Sunday morning, please write the announcement out and give it to the care of meeting person before worship begins.
HOLD IN THE LIGHT

All those traveling, including those at Northern Yearly Meeting who will be returning home tomorrow.
Families who are facing the end of the school year and a transition to a new summer schedule.

UPCOMING MEETING EVENTS

Today is the beginning our summer schedule with one, joint 10:00 worship. Worship on first and third Sundays will be unprogrammed. Worship on second and fourth Sundays will be semi-programmed. The all-Meeting potluck will be at the rise of worship on first Sundays. On second Sundays, worship with attention to business will follow 10:00 worship and will begin at 11:00.

Beginning in June, 9 AM picnic table discussion (inside if raining) will be offered every Sunday, dealing with topics in contemporary Quakerism or Quakers in history. A list of topics is by the bulletins – next week’s topic is Quakers and Migrant Justice. Also starting in June, we will have coffee and conversation following worship on the 3rd and 4th Sundays, if we have volunteers to support that effort (sign-up sheets on the bulletin table.)

The school year schedule will resume on the third Sunday in Sept, the 18th.

Loaves and Fishes will NOT be served tomorrow, Memorial Day. Our next turn is Mon, Aug 29th. Put it on your calendar!

The use of the microphone in meeting for worship enables vocal ministry to be heard and held by all present. Please consider offering this limited-in-scope but very important service to the Meeting. Contact Carol B. or Joanne E.

Caring for Creation tip: Don’t use the toilet as a trash can. Tissues, wrappers, and other trash—even so-called flushable wipes—should be thrown in the trash can, recycled, or composted. Also, avoid pouring fats, chemicals, or medications down the toilet or sink drain.

First Day School Students Shout a BIG THANK YOU for the generous donations made to the breakfast last week! We had so much fun planning it, drawing signs, serving you, cleaning up, and yes, receiving your donations totaling $368! Judith and Allen helped us use the Quakerly process of consensus to make the decision about how to donate the money. That was hard but we finally agreed that $100 would go to Feed My Starving Children, and the rest would be split evenly between the Heifer Project and Feline Rescue where Sydney, a member of the Meeting, volunteers. Thank you! You are the BEST!!!!

From Rose: Thank You! I believe I speak for not only me, but also for Barb and Brian, in thanking Minneapolis Friends Meeting for being host to Adolph’s memorial service Sunday before last. Much planning and effort went into the event, and the result was a warm, tender and loving tribute to a warm, tender and loving man. Special thanks to Pat for her calm presence, wonderful listening, and wise suggestions; to Betsy and Ed who have been and will always be family to me; to the Death and Memorial committee whose quiet presence behind the scenes was invaluable; and to all of you for your words, your greetings, your presence and your love.

OTHER HAPPENINGS AMONG QUAKERS

Friends General Conference 2016 Gathering registration – online (Google: 2016 FGC gathering advance program) or via phone, 215-561-1700. A $60 late registration fee will be charged for registrations received after June 1. Most workshops have space and some financial aid is available, but workshops and aid are first come first served, so the sooner you register the better your chances of getting what you want / need. Once you have registered, consider volunteering! There are opportunities, large and small, immediately before, during, and after the Gathering. Email FGC2016(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)gmail.com for a list of volunteer opportunities. The Gathering doesn’t come to our neighborhood very often, so take advantage of it this year! The FGC Gathering is from July 3-9 at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, MN. Contact Pat Jones about funds available. MAY 31st IS THE LAST DAY OF REGISTRATION FOR THE JUNIOR GATHERING (for children).

Local Quakers can attend the following Friends General Conference evening plenary session without registering for the Gathering, as room permits. All evening speaker events begin at 7:00 pm: Monday, Rex Ambler; Thursday, Nakima Ley-Pounds; Friday, Peggy Senger Morrison. See speaker descriptions on the elevator table.

There are four pre-Gathering events available to Friends, even if you are not planning to attend the entire Friends General Conference Gathering: Adult Young Friends Retreat; Is Your Meeting Online?; Quakers and Business Conference; and Retreat for People of Color and Their Families. These pre-Gathering events require registration, early housing and meals fees, if needed, plus a modest retreat fee. A brief description of the four events is on the elevator table.

Pendle Hill is offering Quaker Studies Online, offering an increasing number of all-online courses in Quaker faith, practice, and history. The first all-online course in the Quaker Studies Online series will be “Exploring the Quaker Way,” a ten-week course starting June 5thand taught by Steve Chase and Marcelle Martin (pendlehill.org/learn/quaker-studies-online/exploring-quaker-way-description). A Fall course on “Quaker Faith, Sustainability, and the Renewal of Creation” is also being planned, taught by Doug Gwyn. For more information about either of these new programs, contact Steve Chase, Pendle Hill’s Director of Education, at 484-234-4490 or schase(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)pendlehill.org.

OFFICE HOURS

Pat Jones’ work week is Wed-Sun. She will be in the office Wed. from 2:00-5:00 and other times Wed, Thurs, Fri. and Sat.
Carolyn VandenDolder, the Administrative Assistant, will be in Wed. afternoon and Fri. Bulletin deadline, noon Thur. Bulletin items can be phoned in to the office, emailed, or written and put in the bulletin file of the blue box.